Tsukumogami: The Living Seals
by Preposte
Summary: A young Naruto finds the Uzumaki Clan Temple of Masks and is introduced to his clan's history by the chakra imprint of his ancestor, Mito Uzumaki. There he will learn the secret to the kinjutsu that led to the destruction of Uzushiogakure. (Fuuinjutsu!Naruto)
1. The Temple of Masks

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I don't even own any fish cakes. Frowny-face.

**Summary:** A young Naruto finds the Uzumaki Clan Temple of Masks and is introduced to his clan's history by the chakra imprint of his ancestor, Mito Uzumaki. There he will learn the secret to the kinjutsu that led to the destruction of Uzushiogakure. (Fuuinjutsu!Naruto)

**TSUKUMOGAMI: THE LIVING SEALS**

**Chapter 1**

**-=oOo=-**

Off the top of his blonde head, he could imagine a hundred better ways to start off his new career than sitting in the academy hallway. Death or dismemberment would certainly be worse, but this was the third time this week and he was starting to have trouble following what they were talking about in class.

Daikoku-sensei was upset with him again for interrupting class, but this time he was honestly just asking a question! They must have talked about this catchra stuff yesterday when he was out here. Naruto looked over his shoulder along the wall and saw the doodles he'd made on the wall yesterday. It was SO BORING out here… That catchra stuff DID sound kinda interesting. Maybe he could just listen in at the door!

Naruto popped up to his feet and tip-toed his way to the classroom's sliding door. He definitely heard something, but it was hard to make out some of the words he hadn't heard before.

"_Here is a chart showing an example of a chakra circulatory system. Neji-san, I believe your clan training covers this material extensively. Please come to the front of the class and identify the major components."_

"_Yes, sensei."_

Naruto hadn't had a chance to make friends with his peers yet. Some of them were annoyed that he'd been let into the academy a year early, but most of them just pretended he didn't exist. Daikoku-sensei did that too most of the time, except when Naruto caused trouble. He listened as Neji used a bunch of confusing words to describe whatever he was pointing at. Maybe if he could see it, it would make more sense.

Nodding smartly to himself, Naruto's hand crept forward to the door and pressed lightly to the side. The door was old, but it slid easily enough, giving him a crack through which he could see his creepy-eyed peer pointing to a chart of a human body covered with squiggly lines. Nope, still doesn't make sense.

A couple footsteps were all the warning he got as the door shot open fully and Naruto fell forward onto his face.

"What did I say about causing a disruption, Naruto?" Daikoku-sensei didn't really want an answer to some of the questions he asked, Naruto had learned. "Go home for the day and try again tomorrow." With that the door closed with a *CLACK*.

Naruto stared for a moment. What did he do wrong this time? Huffing and sticking his hands in his pocket he started marching towards the exit, stomping his feet as he went.

**-=oOo=-**

His new apartment was pretty awesome. He had so much more space there than in his room at the orphanage. A definite improvement. On the down side, even the orphanage caretakers were better company than no one, and that was what he had to look forward to if he went home.

Instead, Naruto decided his feet were in charge. Konohagakure was a beautiful village. The people were bright and friendly to each other. Not him, but each other, so it was still pretty to look at when you were walking. Even at the age of seven, Naruto was well aware that people didn't like being around him. The folks at the orphanage gave him food, blankets, anything he really needed, but they never touched him, and they would never let him touch them. He learned that lesson quickly.

Even now, as he walked down the middle of the road bordered by two story buildings, people would look up from what they were doing and shuffle off to the side to let him pass. Some glared at him too. Those were the looks that made him angry. One man even shouted at him once just for walking down the street, but then he disappeared into the crowd before Naruto figured out what was happening.

This wasn't making him feel better. His feet eventually led him to the village wall. He wondered what was on the other side. He'd seen the woods visible from any of the gates, but never gone in. Part of him was excited by the idea, but… what if there were ghosts out there? He shuddered involuntarily as his feet turned abruptly to travel around the perimeter of the village. It's a good thing they had these walls.

Sometime later, he wasn't sure how long, a drop of wet splattered on his cheek. He brought a hand up to wipe it away, but he felt splashes on his fingers and then his arm as well. Dark clouds had swooped in while he was getting himself lost and threatened to make his day worse. Where the hell was his apartment from here? Picking up his pace, Naruto wandered around, looking for a familiar landmark. Maybe if he got up high, he could see the Hokage monument… but where was his apartment from there?

Grumbling to himself, the rain had steadily increased until fat droplets seemed to be hitting and soaking straight through his white t-shirt. Shelter. He could wait out the rain, but where?

The neighborhood looked old. Mostly small houses. A couple buildings with walls of their own. Walking past one of the walls, he looked through a crack in the large wooden doors of the gate and saw a run-down temple. The entryway was half collapsed, so he was sure there wouldn't be anyone there to chase him out. Slipping through the gap, Naruto padded his way across the wide path paved in flat stones. The water droplets splashing on the paving stones would have looked prettier if streams of water weren't running down his bangs into his eyes.

"Hello?" No answer. Naruto knew enough to be careful around the old buildings like this, so he tested the boards in front of him, but the place was apparently still fairly sturdy.

As Naruto crept through the front doors, a brazier on the wall sprung to life, casting firelight across the chamber. The floor was covered with dust, but didn't look as run-down as the outside. Not that Naruto noticed as he clutched the fabric of his shirt over his heart in a tight fist and tried to get his breathing under control. The whole thing was seeming more and more… ghostly... as time went by. And wasn't this an abandoned temple? Naruto strongly considered going out into the rain again, but nothing else had happened since the brazier thing lit itself on fire. Maybe it was ninja magic? He'd seen some crazy things in the village and in Jiji's office sometimes. Yeah, that sounds good. Just ninja magic. Moving on.

As sound an argument as that was, Naruto would admit it had more to do with the wall of amazing masks on the far side of the hall. There were dozens of them. He rushed over in excitement to get a better look. Each wooden mask shaped really cool. Not like the boring ANBU masks he'd seen. This one had a scary smile with fangs and horns coming out its forehead. Naruto reached out to pull it off the wall, but when his fingers touched it, a shot of fear went through him. Suddenly, the ghost conclusion seemed more likely and he took a couple steps back.

He looked over his shoulders to see if anything had moved and was comforted that the front door still hung on its hinges.

Turning back to the masks, a shock of red caught his eye. Maybe it was best to leave the more demonic-looking mask alone for now. This one seemed out of place amongst the scary ones. Set off to the side as if it wasn't related to the others. Not that it was friendly looking. Instead, it looked like noble woman with stubby horns and red hair the color of a tomato. Her expression was cold, but he couldn't help but feel drawn to it.

Naruto nervously reached out again to touch this mask. As his finger came in contact with the wood, a warm feeling came over him. Not overwhelming like the fear had been. For lack of a better way to describing it, this felt like a good mask. Almost by instinct Naruto carefully lifted the mask off of its peg and set it over his own face. Everything went white.

...

Naruto blinked several times expecting his eyes to hurt from the bright flash of light, but he felt fine. He was still inside the temple and nothing looked much more disturbed than when he got here. The doors still hung limply on their remaining hinges, the brazier still burned, the lady with the red hair...

"Eek!" Naruto leapt back from the semi-transparent phantom that stared at him quietly. That she stood between him and the exit only made things worse. "A-are y-you a… ghost?"

The woman in the soft white kimono tipped her head to the side thoughtfully before responding, causing her paper tag earrings to dangle. "I suppose I am. It has clearly been some time since I was made." At this she turned about and took in the decrepit old building.

Naruto took that opportunity to shift ever so slightly to the side and towards the door, but he'd barely made it a third of the way before she cleared her throat and he looked back to see her staring once again.

"And who are you?" The tone was curious, but there was an edge to it that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

"Uh… Naruto Uzumaki." Stall for time. Stall for time. One more inch towards the door.

"Uzumaki? Odd. From your mother or your father?" The gaze seemed to intensify if nothing else.

This isn't where he imagined this conversation leading. "I… don't know? I never knew my parents." Two more inches. This might actually work!

With his eyes glued to the woman's face in the hopes of concealing the intent of his shuffling feet he couldn't help but see a pained expression cross her face. She moved toward him soundlessly and brought her face to within inches of his own, freezing him in place. She moved her head this way and that, inspecting his face from every angle before standing upright again and giving him a sharp nod. "Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, my successor."

Ghost or not, thoughts of fleeing had entirely left his mind. "W-what? How do you know?"

"You may not have the Uzumaki family hair, but I've observed that it doesn't carry over every time an Uzumaki bears children with a mate outside of the clan. My own granddaughter is such an example. Perhaps it's something about blonde fathers." The woman turned and walked away a few steps, seemingly caught up in her own thoughts again.

"Who are you?" Naruto voice felt smaller than he wanted, but that wouldn't stop him from getting answers this time! Dattebayo!

The woman seemed surprised. "Oh my, I'm afraid it has been some time since I haven't been recognized by sight. My apologies. I am Mito Uzumaki. The first lady of Konohagakure, jinchuuriki to the Nine-Tailed Fox, and seal master of the Uzumaki Clan." She inclined her head politely toward him, but he couldn't have noticed with the questions whizzing around his mind. Seeing this, she gestured towards a low table off to the side of the room and walked over to sit on the far side.

Naruto followed slowly, but when he sat down on the cushion a cloud of dust exploded and sent him into a coughing fit. When it subsided, the woman giggled lightly at the pouty look on the boy's face. "Alright, Naruto Uzumaki. Ask your questions and I will try to answer them as best as I can."

He shifted and bit as if the cushion wasn't sitting right, though he barely paid it any attention. "Did… did you know my mom?"

Mito nodded at him. "Yes, Kushina Uzumaki was a splendid girl. Cheerful, excitable, a bit impulsive." She smiled down at the boy as his own grin took over his entire face. "Oh, and she had a tremendous temper. Also something that, I'm afraid, runs in the family. She was also shaping up to be a talented kunoichi, with an excellent grasp of our bloodline. Perhaps some of that rubbed off?"

Whatever she expected to hear in response, she was disappointed. "Um… what's a bloodline?"

"Well, let's see. How much do you know about ninjutsu?"

"Is that ninja magic?"

She stared for a moment, resisting the urge to rub the bridge of her nose. "In a sense, but we'll get into that in a moment. Are you attending the shinobi academy?"

"Yep! I've been there for… almost two months, I think. I was there this morning, but I'm taking the rest of the day off." His nervous laughter didn't hide much from a kunoichi of her experience.

"So are you skipping class, or were you asked to leave?" Mito watched the boy and saw him briefly crawl into himself before he smiled brightly.

"I'm just too awesome, so Daikoku-sensei said I could go." The boy's smile was simply too big to be genuine, and his rubbing the back of his neck seemed a rather obvious tell.

"Is this the first time your sensei has allowed you to take the rest of the day off?"

"Uh… no. A few times. I just don't need as much help as the other kids."

"Yes. That must be nice. I wonder if I might ask a favor, Naruto-chan." Mito eased herself off the floor to a standing position, causing Naruto to quickly follow suit.

"Sure, what do you need?"

Mito smiled at the boy in return. "I'd like you to take my mask," she gestured to the wooden mask still clutched in his hand, "to the Hokage, and tell him that I'd like to speak to him. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing, youma-baachan! You can count on me! Dattebayo!"

That brought a smile to her face, and she nodded gently. "I believe the rain has stopped, so you should be on your way. Will you promise to visit again?"

"Absolutely! See ya later!" Naruto waved happily and slipped between the hanging doors to the slick paving stones outside. Maybe ghosts weren't so scary after all.

**-=oOo=-**

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage, leader of Konohagakure, and God of Shinobi stared blankly at a reminder of the only woman who, even in as Hokage, could make him feel like a child. Naruto had just dropped the wooden mask off, and he immediately knew what it meant. He tapped his pipe against the desk in front of him and watched the sparks float up from the bowl.

He wasn't upset with the boy for finding what must be considered his inheritance. But why did it have to be her? Mito Uzumaki was the rival of Tobirama Senju in more ways than one. They were seal masters from competing schools, they were forced to share the affections of a man who was husband and brother, and they did not agree on how a hidden village should be run. Nothing like the amicable rivalry of Kakashi and Gai.

Hiruzen had been one of the Tobirama's students, and so he'd been dragged into those fights more often than not. After his sensei's passing and his own succession to the Hokage's hat, the long-lived woman had found new reasons to object, though perhaps her heart wasn't quite in it. After the destruction of her home village, she had left public life entirely.

He held the mask up in front of himself again and wondered if this might be a good opportunity to say goodbye. Her mark was all over the village, and it was a lingering regret that she had passed on so quietly. Those who knew her best long since gone before her. He made a gesture with his left hand and his ANBU guards quickly left the room to take up stations at the entry points.

Turning the mask around to see the back, he lightly touched the wood to his face and felt the telltale pulse of his chakra draining to power the mask's jutsu. When he brought it back down, there she was. A bit younger than he last remembered her, but it was her chakra imprint, who was he to judge?

"Uzumaki-san."

She rolled her eyes in response. "Please, Hiru-chan. I think we can dispense with the formalities."

Hiruzen grumbled under his breath, disguised poorly behind fiddling with his pipe again. "So what would you like to talk about?"

Mito rolled her eyes and walked silently around the side of the desk to look out the window. "The village has gone through many changes in my absence. I will not demand that you bring me up to speed, as the village is no longer a responsibility we share. I hope that will help me find a few answers, however."

"You wish to know what happened to Kushina?" Mito simply nodded. Hiruzen took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Kushina married Minato Namikaze in secret shortly after he was named the Yondaime Hokage. His role in the Third Shinobi War made him many powerful enemies, and he was reluctant to share them. Kushina objected, as you might imagine," this brought a small smile to Mito's lips, "but it was one of only a few things that he denied her.

"It didn't matter in the end. Kushina was pregnant. As you know, a female jinchuuriki giving birth is a dangerous time. The chakra network of mother and child separating can leave gaps through which the Biju can claw their way through." Hiruzen paused uncomfortably. "Something happened during the birth, we're still not sure what. My wife, Biwako, was killed, and the Kyuubi was released to wreak havoc on the village.

"There was an apparent third party, but the only people who might know who that was died that night. Minato and Kushina managed to re-seal the Kyuubi into their son. In the brief time I had to discuss options with them, I suggested other names, but there was no time to take risks with unproven bloodlines. Only Uzumaki have ever been known to successfully contain the beast, and there was one of an appropriate age to do so."

Mito furrowed her brow. "How did the Namikaze brat seal the Kyuubi?"

Hiruzen somewhat nervously replied, "Without Hashirama's Wood Release, he needed to weaken the beast. He used the Shiki Fuin to seal half of its chakra in the Mask of the Shinigami and sealed the remaining unbalanced chakra into his son, Naruto."

Mito shook her head in agitation. "So much like Tobirama. Strong Hokage, bad father."

When it looked like Hiruzen was about to respond to that, she waved him off. "I'm sorry, old habit. While I'm interested to know that my Shinigami mask was used by someone who I did not teach my sealing techniques, I will assume Kushina taught him, as was her right after my death. I asked Naruto-chan to bring me here today to see to the future. I understand he is not fitting in well at the academy?"

"That… is fair to say. I allowed him to start the chakra training part of the academy a year early in order to start him on the Orphan Shinobi Fund so I could justify taking him out of the orphanage. He may -"

"Why not support him on the savings of his parents, or my own?" Mito interrupted. "I can't imagine Minato would be so poor at managing money that he could be Hokage and near bankrupt at the same time."

"Naruto's heritage and his burden are each considered S-class secrets. Giving him access to the funds of either parent would leave a paper trail linking the boy either to a war hero with many enemies or the previous jinchuuriki."

"Neither secret seems especially safe. The boy is the spitting image of his father at the age I knew him, and you've given him his mother's clan name."

"I agree that the boy's unintentional insistence on looking like his father is becoming problematic, but the clan name has turned out to be less of an issue. While an important part of the village's legacy, those who didn't live through the Second Shinobi War do not remember the friendship we had with Uzushiogakure. To most, it is just a name. To those that remember, his hair lends credence to the suggestion that it was given to him to honor our fallen comrades. Some know the truth, but they are all tightly connected to the village."

Mito sighed and paced, her steps still entirely silent. "Very well, but that makes my request less risky than I had feared. I wish to train the boy in his birthright. In Uzumaki Fuinjutsu."

"Isn't seven a bit early for such training? He's only just learning what chakra and ninjutsu are." Hiruzen wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of the hyperactive boy learning such dangerous techniques with no real parental guidance to reign him in.

"In Uzushiogakure, we taught our children seals as soon as they finished learning their letters and numbers. Perhaps his education will proceed at a faster pace if he shows the talent, but if he really is the last Uzumaki, then I'm afraid that I must insist." She stopped her pacing to turn to face the Hokage again. "Besides, though I may not be technically alive to invoke them, this village has strict rules about clan matters such as these, doesn't it?"

Hiruzen frowned, but nodded firmly. "It does. Though I will allow it on the condition that you restrict such training to Uzumaki clan property. In this case, the Temple grounds." When she nodded in response, he took out a parchment and brush from a drawer in his desk. "Considering your… present limitations, what will you need to begin?"

**-=oOo=-**

Naruto cursed at himself for not paying closer attention when he went home yesterday. He'd just spent the last hour wandering around looking for the temple he was walking into now.

"Hello? Youma-baachan?" Like before, the brazier lit on its own once he passed through the doorway. So cool.

The hall was empty, however. Well, the demon masks were still there, but no ghost lady. He spent some time wandering around, poking at the masks. Some of them made him uncomfortable, but most seemed to be normal wood, even if they still looked cool. He stayed away from that first one. Definitely the scariest.

Did she forget? Did she leave because he was late? Wait, she's a ghost. Where would she go?

Growing bored, he meandered over to the low table and sat on the cushion. The dust cloud wasn't a problem this time.

"Hey, the mask is back!" Sure enough, the mask that he'd given to the Hokage was sitting on the table. Did the Hokage not want it? When he picked it up, the warm feeling came back. It really was the best mask of the lot. Not seeing anyone over his shoulder, he shrugged and put the mask over his face again. Another flash of white, though not so overwhelming this time. When he lowered the mask, Mito sat across from him at the table.

"Welcome back, Naruto-chan." Her smile was friendly, but quickly grew stern and a little scary. "You're quite late."

Naruto gulped. "Um, this place isn't that easy to find. And then I got here and you weren't here, so I just looked around." To the woman, he appeared an odd mixture of excited and embarrassed. "Besides, you're a ghost, aren't you? Why would you care?"

"Well," she responded with a bit of an edge, "if you plan to be a ninja, you will have to learn how to be on time. Plan ahead. Take precautions. I will expect you on time next time."

"Next time?"

Even though she was partly see-through, he still caught the glimmer in her eye. "When we continue your lessons." Naruto stared back blankly. "I'm going to teach you your family's art of fuuinjutsu, Naruto."

Excitement immediately boiled to the surface. "Yatta! I'm gonna be the strongest ninja in the world, and then I'll be Hokage. Dattebayo!"

"Ugh, this is so boring! I thought we were gonna learn some kick-ass ninja magic…" While complaining, Naruto continued the careful brush strokes as he copied every kanji and symbol from one scroll to the other.

"Well, if you keep working on your calligraphy drills, I will tell you something about what our family techniques can do. After all, our techniques were considered so dangerous, that both Kumo and Kirigakure allied for the sole purpose of destroying our small village. Is that what you want to learn?"

Naruto nodded fiercely.

"Then keep writing, and I'll tell you more about it." Mito finished evenly. The boy quickly hunched over the parchment and started writing vigorously. Unintelligibly, but she'd work on that later.

"The Uzumaki Clan, like many clans, had their secret techniques. Some for use in battle, others for espionage, or sabotage. We were one of the fortunate clans to possess a bloodline ability as well, passed down through the generations. However, our chakra chains were not the reason we were feared. No, it was our sealing techniques that made us feared. Are you familiar with sealing, Naruto-kun?"

"Um… is that like the things you do with your hands?" Naruto fumbled through some imitation of handseals before going back to his work.

"No, though there is a relationship between seals and handseals. They are both methods of shaping chakra to do what we want. With the correct focus and handseal configuration, a powerful ninja can blow a hole in a mountain. But written seals are more versatile. With written seals, you can make the mountain vanish as if it was never there."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "So how does this help me learn how to make mountains disappear?"

Mito was sorely tempted to show the boy his own seal as an example, but that would prove far too much of a distraction. That will come later. "In this form, I am unable to create actual seals of my own, but I'm sure you've seen them before, even if you didn't know what they were. Have you ever seen someone put something on a scroll and make it disappear? Or make something appear on a scroll by wiping a little blood on it?"

The boy nodded as he thought, his brush suspended. "I saw a ninja pull something out of a scroll in Jiji's office before."

"Did you see what was written on the scroll?"

"It looked like a bunch of squiggles." Naruto furrowed his brow trying to remember the details.

Mito only smiled. "I can imagine. However, those squiggles were very carefully drawn seals, allowing the user to push an object into a pocket of folded space, or remove that object from that space." The blank look on Naruto's face spoke volumes. "In other words, you could hide a bowl of soup in a piece of paper, and remove it when you wanted to eat."

"Like ramen!?" The blonde was nearly on his feet now.

_Well, at least one part of the Uzumaki bloodline bred true in him._ "Yes, like ramen. Would you like to learn how to do that?" Vigorous nodding. "Then you'll first need to master this drill. Do you think you can do that?"

"You can count on it! Dattebayo!"

**-=oOo=-**

**Author's Notes:**

I know, lots and lots of dialogue exposition. Couldn't be helped without going WAY out of the way story-wise. I promise we'll get to timeskips, development, lore, and then team assignment and missions. I don't plan on spending much time in Naruto's childhood.

Also, yes, I know I didn't really go into what Tsukumogami are. I intended to, but Naruto just doesn't know enough about the subject to justify trying to teach him. I promise, next chapter will involve a time skip to the point where he is introduced to what they are, and a brief list of Tsukumogami that are currently at large in the ninja world, such as Samehada. In fact, Samehada was one of the inspirations for this story. If anything in the Naruto-verse was a "living sealed object", that sword would certainly be it.

I don't plan on making extensive use of Japanese, as I don't speak it, but I prefer to keep the flavor of the manga so some Japanese terms will crop up. Most will be easily found on Narutopedia, but if you don't recognize one and want a translation, just let me know so I can add it to the list.

Japanese translation:

youma = ghost


	2. The Doom of the Uzumaki

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I don't even own any fish cakes. Frowny-face.

**TSUKUMOGAMI: THE LIVING SEALS**

**Chapter 2**

"_You can count on it! Dattebayo!"_

**-= 3 WEEKS LATER =-**

"Alright class, I think that about wraps it up for 'Intro to Chakra'. There's not much more we can do until you each can mold chakra yourselves, so we're all going to go outside in order to perform a special exercise. Follow Suzume-sensei out the back doors to the yard and she'll explain it to you." Daikoku-sensei had an attentive smile on his face, but Naruto noticed his fingers gently drumming the hardcover of a familiar orange book sitting on his desk. Naruto wasn't certain, but he thought he'd seen other people reading that book around town. He remembered because he thought it was odd for an adult ninja to walk down the street giggling and blushing at a book. So uncool.

Now that he'd finished his calligraphy exercises, youma-sensei had him working on his observation skills. She said that a seal master needs to able to notice a flaw in a seal within seconds if they ever hope to be useful on the battlefield. With her intangibility there were only so many exercises she could set up for him, so she had him count the knots in the walls and floors of the temple, track a mouse back to its den, and polish the masks in the temple.

All except the scariest one.

To be honest, he suspected it was more about keeping the temple clean than actual training, and he figured it wouldn't be long until she had him working on fixing the patio and doors.

Naruto followed his classmates out the door and joined the crowd walking behind their female instructor to the tree line. Her black, curly hair covered poofed out even more than his own and she was dressed more like a civilian than a chunin. He personally hadn't met her before, but the girls in the class had apparently already had a number of classes with her, though they wouldn't tell him what the classes were about.

Once the noise of the upper classmen in the throwing range died down, Suzume-sensei stopped and directed the students to sit in a big circle around her. Naruto plopped down crosslegged onto the dirt and was shortly followed by his new friend, Rock Lee, sitting to his right.

"Hi, Naruto-kun! Thank you again for sparring with me yesterday! We must do it again!" The energy that came off the slightly older boy could power the village. The boy's round eyes and black eyebrows gave him a serious, if odd, demeanor, but Naruto liked him.

"Hey, Lee! Yeah, that sounds great! Um… I don't think I'll be available after class today, though." Lee looked heartbroken. Naruto hastily continued, "but we can do it this weekend!"

Just as quickly as before, the black-haired boy's face brightened. "Yosh! I will meet you on the friendly field of battle this weekend then, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto grinned back brightly. This past Sunday, youma-sensei had him work out in a clearing outside of the official training grounds. While he was punching the air, the bushy-browed classmate walked up to him and asked if he could train with him. They each only knew the basic kata from the academy, so it quickly devolved into a friendly fist fight that lasted a good half hour. Naruto was definitely looking forward to round two.

"Kawanishi-san, Shiranui-san, please be quiet." Suzume-sensei scolded the bickering pair at the other side of the circle. Zaji Kawanishi was a bully, as Naruto could personally attest, but not like Neji Hyuuga who would insult and provoke you. Zaji could make you want to punch him in the face and not even know why. Naruto just tried to keep his distance, but Tenten Shiranui was his favorite target. The girl always talked about how she was going to be a great kunoichi one day. She would prove that girls were just as good as boys at being ninja. With youma-sensei as a teacher, he couldn't disagree, but Zaji could make anything you said sound stupid, even if you were right.

"Now, students, what is the difference between a soldier and a ninja?"

"Ninjas are awesome! Dattebayo!"

"Anyone else?" Suzume-sensei scanned the group of students patiently.

"Ninjas use chakra." The quiet voice of Shiho Hisajima came from just behind the teacher.

The chunin instructor spun and smiled. "That's right, Hisajima-san. Ninjas use chakra to do things that other people can't. Today we're going to learn how to unlock your chakra so that you can become ninja." The crowd of students whispered excitedly to each other before she hushed them again. "First, I want you all to get comfortable. We're going to be meditating for a while."

Naruto was really excited now. Youma-sensei had taught him a lot about chakra already, and he was hoping that having chakra would mean he could start on actual ninja-stuff instead of writing practice.

"Now I want you to put your hands into the Ram seal, as Daikoku-sensei showed you. Good. Now close your eyes and imagine your body is filled with fireflies. They're buzzing around inside you. I want you to push them into your hands without moving your body. If you don't get it right away, that's okay. Just keep trying to visualize it."

Picturing fireflies inside of him was definitely the easy part. Naruto always felt like there was something buzzing under his skin. Not uncomfortably, but always present. Thinking of that feeling as fireflies was kind of fun, though. Pushing them anywhere, now that was harder. Could fireflies push back?

After several minutes, Naruto opened his eyes. There were a couple gaps in the circle and he could see Suzume-sensei crouched down next to Makaro Akimichi with a hand hovering over his hands in the ram seal. When he opened his eyes, she nodded at the rotund boy and gesturing for him to head over toward the academy building. Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto could see Neji doing katas in the yard and Janine Shimura sitting against a tree.

Closing his eyes tightly, Naruto redoubled his efforts. He was gonna show those fireflies who was boss!

Well, he was light-headed now, did that count? It felt like hours had passed but, if anything, the only detectable change was that his face tingled far more than usual. His hands felt stubbornly unchanged.

"Alright, students, open your eyes." A couple more gaps were in the circle, but he didn't recognize who was missing. Lee was still sitting next to him, tense as a spring. He could hear the grinding of teeth from Tenten and noticed that Zaji was missing. "Now, don't be discouraged that some of your peers succeeded before you. Many of them are from clans that have undergone similar training before they came to the academy. We will continue this exercise for the rest of the week if necessary. Just be prepared to try again tomorrow. Now, go ahead and make your way back to your home room so your sensei can teach you about what you can do once you've unlocked it."

Aside from Lee's grim determination and Tenten's angry muttering, most of the students made their way back sedately. Naruto was looking everywhere for a clock. Youma-sensei will help.

**-=oOo=-**

Naruto flung his jacket into the corner of the mask chamber and swiped the feminine mask from the table. Briefly touching it to his face, he set it back down and prepared to deploy his puppy dog eyes.

"What has you so energized today, Naruto-chan?" The red-haired apparition sat calmly at the table and studied the boy.

"Youma-sensei! You'll help me, right?!"

"Calm down, boy. What do you need help with?" Mito couldn't help but wonder if anything serious had happened.

"Unlocking my chakra! My class did a thing where we tried to unlock our chakra, but I couldn't get anywhere. A bunch of the others got it right away and I can't fall behind!"

The urgency on the boy's face was heartbreaking, even if he was overreacting. Still, she could only imagine the stress of thinking he was failing at something so important. "Not to worry. You've been making excellent progress with your calligraphy, so I think we can take a day off to address this. Now, what did your teacher tell you to do."

"Suzume-sensei told us to imagine fireflies and make them go to our hands."

Mito nodded. It sounded like variation of a method she'd heard before. "Alright, and what happened when you tried to do that?"

Naruto bit his lip uncharacteristically. "Uh… nothing. I guess I got a little light headed? My face got more tingly."

The woman closed her eyes and sighed. Tingly. She suspected she knew what was going on. "Naruto-chan, do you often feel tingly?"

"I guess. This was a lot more tingly than normal though."

She cast a brief glance at her imprint mask sitting on the table. Had the mask forcibly unlocked the tenketsu in the boy's face? With the volume of chakra he contained as a jinchuuriki, it was certainly possible. Not exactly a safe place to gather chakra when you lacked the proper control, but it would be a start. "Alright, Naruto-chan, please take a seat. Have you learned the Ram seal? Good, make that handseal now. Now you can go ahead and imagine those fireflies again, but this time I want you to push them to your face."

"It got tingly again!"

"Good, but we don't want to leave them there. Now that you have them all gathered together, imagine capturing them in a net. Do you have them? Good. Now move the net to your belly. Don't worry if some of them escape. Where is the tingling sensation now?"

"In my belly. It feels stronger too."

"That's fine. Now move that net full of fireflies to your shoulder. And now to your arms. Your forearms. And finally, your hands. How do your hands feel?"

"Tingly. And warm!" To the naked eye, Naruto's hands were glowing blue. Visible chakra was very difficult to do, though no one was likely to attempt to do that intentionally. That boy could already make a faint glow with freshly unblocked tenketsu points expressed just how much chakra the boy had. Too much it seemed.

"Naruto-chan, you can stop. I believe we have successfully unlocked your chakra. You should be able to show your teacher tomorrow at school. In the meantime, practice sending the fireflies to every part of your body."

"Thanks youma-sensei! You're the best!" Naruto grinned excitedly and looked ready to go back to meditation just to play with his chakra more, until Mito stopped him.

"Before you get carried away, I would like to try something."

"Sure, anything you want, youma-sensei!"

Mito smiled. The boy was turning out to be a better student than one would expect with his hyperactive nature. "I want you to remove your shirt and lay on the ground. On your back." She was very thankful Naruto wasn't old enough to get the wrong idea about this. "Good, now make the ram seal again, and channel your chakra into your belly. We call that area your core. Excellent. That was very quick. Now hold it there as long as you can. Okay?"

"Yes sensei!"

With the chakra being channeled to his core, black marks appeared to rise to the surface of his skin. A pair of unlinked four symbol seals. Not dissimilar from what she used to seal the Kyuubi into herself long ago. There were a great many modifications, however. Subtle things that would be difficult to pick out if you weren't experienced with the Uzumaki style. A ward protecting the throughput adjustment. She would have to ask Hiruzen about the location of the key for the ward. Hmm… Interesting. Two stored chakra imprints. A clever idea. She wished she'd thought of it, frankly. No projection element, so they're likely only accessible through some sort of mindscape. His parents?

Abruptly the seal disappeared.

"Um… the fireflies escaped." The boy was blushing with his hand scratching the back of his neck.

"Quite alright, Naruto-chan. You did well. Go ahead and put your shirt back on. We'll move on to something else."

He slipped the black shirt back over his head and sat down at the table again. He glanced at the brush and inkpot a little uncomfortably.

"No, we're done practicing your calligraphy for now. I want your full attention for what we're going to discuss next." That certainly got his attention. She was always pushing him to maintain awareness of his environment while working. This was new.

Mito paced slowly back and forth in front of the wall of masks. "We've talked a great deal about how basic sealing works. How chakra flow is regulated." At Naruto's guilty look, she amended, "And no, I don't expect that you've picked it all up the first time. That was an overview so that we could dive into specifics later. But before we get to that, we have one last subject to discuss."

Stopping in front of the table she asked, "Do you remember why the Uzumaki clan was feared?"

"Because of seals?"

"That's right, but seals aren't exclusive to us. Other people can and do learn them. Why were we so special?" Naruto opened his mouth, but she raised a hand to let him know it was a rhetorical question. "The Uzumaki clan did something with sealing that no one else had, or to my knowledge has, ever done. We made seals that can grow."

Naruto tipped his head to side at that. That didn't seem very impressive. He'd already learned about seals that could get bigger when they needed to. Was he missing something?

"When a boy becomes a man, do you think it only because he grew taller?"

"Uh… no?"

"Life experience helps us become greater than we were when we started. No kage was born with the strength and ability to lead a hidden village. That was the power of the Uzumaki forbidden fuinjutsu, the Tsukumogami. Seals that behaved like living things. Seals that could mature into something new. We made them like you would make a tool, but with careful supervision, the tool could become just as versatile as a living ninja, except that they lacked many of a normal human's vulnerabilities. They could also be made from nearly anything and, theoretically, they would live forever."

"Traditionally, in our clan, you would not be recognized as a seal master until you had created your own Tsukumogami. The quality of the seal you created was a source of pride and played a rather large role in a new seal masters position within the village. Impress and you might one day become clan leader. Disappoint and it would be difficult live it down."

Seeing that he wasn't following everything, she decided to take a different tack. "Perhaps some examples will help. When I first introduced myself, I told you I was an Uzumaki Seal Master. What did I need to do to claim that title?"

"Uh… make one of those special seal things?"

"A Tsukumogami, yes. And I did. You've already seen it a number of times. Do you think you know what it might be?"

He gave her a blank look for a moment before glancing around the room. It didn't take long for him to suggest the "scary mask".

Mito smiled in response. She had worked with the mask for so long it would be impossible to think of it in those terms, but she understood how someone would think that. "That's right. That is the Mask of the Shinigami. My masterpiece. The ultimate storage seal you could say. However, to make it work requires the user to sacrifice their life. I believe the Yondaime used that mask to defeat the Kyuubi."

If Naruto's attention was wavering from the complexity she was raining down on him, that tidbit gave him a laser focus. He stared hard at the mask in question. Sure it was scary, but it was a weapon? A weapon strong enough to save the village?

"There have been many others as well. Not all of them were made to deal with problems as big as a biju. Some were quite simple, or at least they started that way. Atsuo Uzumaki created the Wanshou no Seijou. The band of normalcy. Any idea what it did?"

Naruto shook his head. It sounded like it didn't do anything at all, frankly.

"The band use a genjutsu to make anything the wearer did seem normal. Not invisible, just normal. So he could walk into a bank and take all the ryo he wanted and no one would stop him. Why?"

"Because it was normal…" Naruto responded in awe.

"That's right. I won't go into detail, but I should say that things didn't go very well for Atsuo and the Wanshou no Seijou was eventually destroyed. If you could make a Tsukumogami, would you like to make something like that?"

Naruto thought about that hard. It seemed incredibly useful. He imagined the pranks he could pull with something like that, though it seemed an awful lot like cheating. In fact, nothing you did would seem special. To anyone. Too easy for yourself, too normal for other people. What a way to ruin a good thing. "No. I want people to acknowledge me. Not ignore me."

Mito smiled broadly. "Then maybe you'd like to make a neverending bowl of ramen?"

Naruto leapt to his feet immediately. "Yatta! Yep, that's the one! Let's get started!"

She laughed and directed him to take his seat. "Hold your horses, I'm afraid to tell you that someone already made one, or at least a bowl that could supply various foods in ready form once they had been introduced to the artifact. And no, I don't know where it is." The boy instantly deflated again. "There are many fascinating Tsukumogami in the clan's history. Some have become legends, others cautionary tales. Yoshi Uzumaki made a dancing sword that could fly at his whim and fight his enemies. Until the day he grew angry at his wife and it ran her through before he could stop it. Aiko Uzumaki made a cloak of fire that allowed her incredible control over fire ninjutsu. Her own and that of others, wresting control of the flames and redirecting attacks back at her opponents. The cloak grew to love the flames more than its master, however, and she was burned alive. Needless to say, both of those Tsukumogami were also destroyed."

At this point, Naruto was definitely some shade of green. The idea of creating his own Tsukumogami may need some thought after all. "Are there any left? I mean, besides your mask. And hopefully the bowl." A boyish grin erupted as his good mood returned.

"Yes. After the fall of our village, several of our relics reappeared in the hands of our attackers. Some believe that rather than fear driving them to destroy us, it was greed. They wanted our Tsukumogami. One of Kirigakure's seven swordsmen, a Fuguki Suikazan, wields a massive chakra absorbing sword called Samehada, or Shark Skin. I don't know if the man ever unlocked the sword's true potential. Yoshi Uzumaki was a brilliant man, and he was so proud of that sword. It has likely grown since then as well."

"Has anyone tried to take them back?"

"With what army?" Mito replied a bit sharply. "I'm sorry, Naruto-chan. It's been discussed and dismissed before. No one cares about them as much as the Uzumaki do, and unfortunately we are not in great supply. I suspect there are other survivors out there, but they were understandably laid very low since the fall of the village."

"I'll get them back, youma-sensei." Mito was taken aback by the fire in Naruto's eyes.

"That… that is an admirable goal, but please do not get yourself killed over it. The Tsukumogami were dear to our clan, but they are not more dear than family, and we are family."

Naruto positively glowed at the announcement, but the fire hadn't diminished.

Mito smiled down at him, enjoying the moment, but it was not to last. She took a deep breath. "There is one more thing we need to talk about today, Naruto-chan." She decided she would have to simply dive in. There was no proper way to give news like this.

"What do you know about the Kyuubi?"

**-=oOo=-**

The door cracked open and an exhausted blonde-haired boy walked into the empty apartment. Naruto plodded to the kitchen to boil some water. Youma-sensei had made him promise to eat a larger variety of food, but he was certain today would count as an exception. Feeling a little guilty, he pulled some green onions and carrots out of the refrigerator.

At least everything made sense now. The Kyuubi no Kitsune. Sealed inside of him. He always thought people didn't like him, but youma-sensei assured him that it was what he represented that they didn't like. After all, they didn't even know him. He supposed he could see where they were coming from. The accounts he'd heard about the Kyuubi's rampage through the village were terrifying. A monster for campfire stories.

Sealed inside his belly.

He absently chopped the carrots on his new cutting board. Youma-sensei had given him the brilliant idea to buy most of his things from foreign merchants, as they would treat him fairly. Now he really knew why. They didn't know the secret.

He couldn't help but wonder how many people knew about it. She said it was a secret, classified by the Hokage under pain of death. She'd laughed when Naruto asked her if she would get in trouble for telling him and remembered that she was already dead. Still, would Hokage-jiji stop him from seeing her anymore? Did he know she'd told him?

The water was bubbling away, so Naruto quickly dumped the fried noodles, chopped veggies and a pinch of salt into the waiting broth. Ayame-neechan was a very good teacher. He hadn't been sure what would happen when youma-sensei told him to find someone to teach him how to cook for himself. Now that he knew some of the basics, he found the process to be relaxing. At least, when he was making ramen.

Naruto couldn't imagine what he would do without youma-sensei. It was nothing short of luck that brought him to the mask temple.

And now he knew what to do in return for her help too. The Uzumaki clan artifacts, the Tsukumogami. His family was destroyed so that their enemies could steal them. Hell if he was going to let those bastards keep them.

But she didn't even know where they were. Well, except one, but he didn't think he was quite up for taking anything from a famous swordsman. Yet.

The noodles looked soft enough. He pulled a few strands up with his chopsticks and took a nibble. Perfect. He smiled and poured the noodles, veggies, and broth into one of his new bowls. A little fish sauce and it was ready. When he sat down at the table he slid over one of his calligraphy practice scrolls and flipped it in order to write on the back.

The Shinigami's Mask, location known. Sharktail(?), location known. Neverending Ramen Bowl, location unknown. Were there any others? He'd have to check with youma-sensei again tomorrow.

Naruto looked down at the list. This is something he could do. No one else would try if he didn't. He would get them back.

He lifted his chopsticks reverently over the fragrant bowl of ramen before him. "Itadakimasu!"

**-= LATER THAT WEEK =- **

Naruto moved his hands away from his body slowly, turning his right wrist and bending his elbow while stepping back with his left foot. He wasn't sure about the practical application, but the teacher said that these katas teach your body basic movements and youma-sensei had insisted that he work on them.

He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder down the path under the trees. Where earlier that week he'd been struggling to unlock his chakra along with his classmates, only one student remained.

From this distance it seemed as if he could see the beads of sweat dripping off of Rock Lee's bushy brow. Naruto ached to see if he could help his new friend, but when Suzume-sensei dismissed them back to their home classroom, Lee wasn't with them.

It wasn't until lunch time that Naruto saw Lee again, looking despondent as he sat on a bench up against the outside of the academy building.

"Hey Lee, how's it going?"

The black-haired boy started and turned to the blonde. "Oh, hi Naruto-kun! I am looking forward to our spar this weekend!" Naruto wasn't sure how to ask what he wanted, and the awkward silence dimmed Lee's too-big smile a bit.

"Lee, um… so did you have any luck with the chakra exercise?"

Lee's smile dimmed further and seemed even more forced. "I tried to picture the fireflies in a net, as you advised, but ultimately I could not move them. They performed some tests at the hospital and say that I lack the ability to actively mold chakra. However, that will not stop me from being a great ninja!"

Naruto was stunned by the announcement. Could you be a ninja if you couldn't mold chakra? Well, why not? Being a ninja was a job. Different ninja did those jobs differently, so maybe? Well, if anyone could, it would be Lee. Firming his resolve and clapped a hand on Lee's shoulder. "That's right! We'll both be great ninja."

The smile came back full force with the encouragement. "Yosh!" Lee leapt to his feet. "We will become great ninjas of the village." He held his hand out and the two boys clasped each other's wrists.

"Dattebayo!"

**-= GRADUATION DAY =-**

*Bzzt bzzt bzzt bzzt CRASH*

With a whimper, the ten year old boy rolled out of bed, thumping on the floor rather than trying to push aside the blankets. After laying on the floor a few more seconds he rolled and levered himself to his knees and finally to his feet, bracing himself on the bedpost, giving out a throaty groan for good measure.

_Where am I? What day is it?_

… Right. Okay, so it's his apartment, that one was easy. However, it took him a few moments staring at the calendar before everything clicked.

"Ah! Right! Okay, everything's fine… I just need to… to…" He looked around the room and took a sniff at one of his armpits. "Take a shower. Right. Let's start with that."

Five minutes later, Naruto pulled out a fresh set of clothes from the closet. Burnt orange tactical-length pants and a black t-shirt with a red Uzumaki swirl on the chest. He hopped into the kitchen putting on the second black sandal and set a pot of water to boil. Breakfast before the graduation exam seemed like a great excuse to eat ramen in the morning. Youma-sensei wouldn't mind.

Keeping an ear open for the sound of bubbling, he dug through the scrolls, inkwells, and paper tags clogging up the dining room table. Most of these were rejects, so it didn't matter if they got messy. His finished seals were tucked away in his hip pouch or the pockets on the inside of his jacket. Speaking of which, Naruto swiped the olive short-sleeved jacket, with the ubiquitous orange trim, off of the coat rack and slipped it on. He patted the empty breast pocket and cursed.

Where was it?

On his hands and knees, the boy scrabbled across the cluttered apartment floor until he found a small bound book beside the couch. The brown hardcover had no title, only the red and black swirl that represented the official symbol of the Uzumaki clan. He flipped open the book at random and skimmed it over.

_**Entry 27: **__Sukerutonki, The Skeleton Key_

_**Creator: **__Yakou Uzumaki_

_**Appearance: **__A two bladed key made of bronze with a handle like what you'd find on a blade. At the pommel, a silver ball painted on four sides with a light blue Uzumaki swirl._

_**Abilities: **__Unlocks or unravels anything it comes in contact with. Unknown if it can lock or reassemble what it has once unlocked._

_**Danger: **__Unknown, assumed high risk to personal seal._

_**Location: **__Unknown_

_**Notes: **__Rumors of a legendary burglar in the Land of Rivers. Said to be able to break through any defenses without leaving a trace of his presence and has no village affiliation. Common wisdom assumes a new ninjutsu._

Naruto flipped the book closed again. His Tsukumogami Bingo Book was his pride and joy. While he was diligent with his sealing lessons, he knew he probably spent too much time with this thing. He'd gotten pretty good at coaxing this kind of information out of people, but he had very few concrete facts.

It took him a moment to realize that the sound he was hearing was his water boiling.

Another ten minutes later and he was running down the street toward the academy. His mouth was a little scorched from eating his breakfast before it could cool, but that wasn't anything unusual. All he could think about was getting his hitai-ite.

"Watch out! I'm gonna be a great ninja, dattebayo!"

Some bystanders looked at the boy with fear at his announcement, but most assumed he'd simply gone nuts. He wouldn't be the first ninja to do so. Naruto ignored it all and kicked up dust on his way to meet destiny.

**-=oOo=-**

**Author's Notes:**

There we are. An introduction to the whole premise of the story. I went back and forth a lot on how to handle Lee, but ultimately I couldn't imagine how a boy without the ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu could pass the academy without being incredibly driven even before Gai-sensei. I avoided all references to "youth", but that will rear it's ugly head later. Maybe as early as the next chapter!

On Tsukumogami:

I will note that I have designs for a couple major original artifacts, but I'm interested to hear any ideas for major or minor Tsukumogami. Comment with your suggestions. I'm perfectly willing to play around with humor suggestions, though I'll have trouble working in anything too cracky or similar to existing techniques.

Whatever they are, try to make the mechanism consistent. Like a pair of shoes that make the person dance, so all of its power would have to be related to controlling movements, rhythm, music, etc. Maybe if could help the user dance out of danger, or maybe it just messes with the person's head so everything they think about happens at a particular rhythm.


	3. Not According to the Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I mean really, do any of us really own anything? Dude...

**TSUKUMOGAMI: THE LIVING SEALS**

**Chapter 3**

"_Watch out, world! I'm gonna be a great ninja, dattebayo!"_

_Some bystanders looked at the boy with fear at his announcement, but most assumed he'd simply gone nuts. He wouldn't be the first ninja to do so. Naruto ignored it all and kicked up dust on his way to meet destiny._

_Well, with one small detour… He still had time._

**-=oOo=-**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting too old for this. He didn't call out for a messenger, or do anything really. He knew who the culprit was at a glance, and the boy was hard enough to catch with the handful of administrative chunin that were usually available for the task.

As he stood at the window of his office overlooking the Hokage monument, he reflected on Naruto's development. The giant multi-colored Uzumaki swirl painted over the face of the Nidaime Hokage was a good indicator. Tobirama-sensei would have rolled in his grave to see such a thing, but he still didn't regret allowing Naruto to train with his departed ancestor. Over the occasional lunches they still shared at Ichiraku Ramen, he'd seen more than enough to show that the boy had a flair for the art. Hard to believe considering how difficult it was to get him to focus, but something about the crisscrossing lines and archaic symbols just worked for him.

He would be taking his graduation exam today, and the boy's grandfather figure couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension. Sealing aside, he'd received more than one report indicating the blonde was still being a problem in class. Some of that likely had to do with prejudice, but he was hopeful that Naruto would find a way to succeed despite the difficulty. After all, he couldn't force Konoha ninja to like the boy, and showing favoritism would only drive a wedge between him and the people he was being trained to work alongside.

Turning back toward the desk, Hiruzen wandered back to his chair. Maybe he should be considering a replacement again. Once he was comfortable again, he gestured with his hand and one his personal guards left to have Naruto escorted back to the academy.

**-=oOo=-**

"Hey! I can walk on my own!" The door to the classroom slid open with a *clack* and a pair of exhausted chunin carried a bundled blonde boy through. They dumped him on the floor with a thud and walked out grumbling to themselves without bothering to untie him.

Daikoku-sensei stared at the boy for a minute before leaning down to cut the ropes. His students had been trained on how to get out of such situations, but the chunin who'd brought the boy in had been a little vicious with the bindings. Naruto scrambled to his feet and walked calmly to his seat despite his flushed face.

"Anyway, as I was saying, you will be graded on your cumulative performance today. We'll start with a written section that will test you on some of your basic education. History, mathematics, conceptual understanding. Following that, you'll proceed to the yard where you'll take turns testing your physical abilities on the obstacle course, your taijutsu in a spar with an instructor, and your long range accuracy and speed. Finally, after lunch we'll be testing your ninjutsu. As everyone showed they could perform a successful transformation earlier this year, we'll be testing on the clone jutsu. Any questions?"

That was a lot to take in in one breath, but Daikoku wanted to get started so they wouldn't end up running into lunch, so he nodded when no one came forward and started passing stacks of tests to the front desks in the room to pass back.

Naruto was up to thirty-seven in his head. Youma-sensei said counting in your head was a good way to stop yourself from doing things you would regret when you're upset. Did those guys really need to tie him up and drop him in front of his whole class like that? He saw the looks on his classmate's faces. Neji's sneer, Zaji's big condescending grin, Shiho covering her face with her hands so she wouldn't have to look. At least he still had Lee. Outcasts together.

His other desk neighbor slapped a stapled test booklet onto his desk and turned back to his own work.

_Question 1: At the conclusion of a battle involving the use of poison, a comrade is rendered unconscious. What are the three most common signs of poison exposure that you should look for?_

Hmm… ok. Right. Um, what's the next one?

_Question 2: "To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape." What does this proverb mean?_

Skipping down to the third question, he found a cypher. Naruto could feel the sweat beading on his forehead. Maybe he should have spent more time reading the textbook instead of working on his seals.

**-=oOo=-**

Naruto slogged his way across the log, focusing on not looking at the water below. His pants were already wet from when he tried to rush the rope swing and it was slowing him down something fierce. Crossing the finish line, he watched Suzume-sensei write down his finish time without a word and made his way to the sparring area. The first group was just finishing up and making their way toward the throwing range.

Daikoku-sensei dusted off his knees and greeted the students in front of him. "Alright, I can see you've just finished the obstacle course." He glanced down at Naruto's wet legs. The blonde wasn't the only one who'd fallen, but he was used to being the one people remembered falling. "Next up, you'll be given four minutes to impress me in a spar. The first two minutes on offense, the last on defense. Understood?"

Students murmured and nodded their heads in response.

"Alright then. Let's start with Neji-san." While the instructor's voice was calm, Naruto detected a hint of eagerness. He wasn't surprised. He'd sparred with Neji before during taijutsu class. Spar might be too strong a word. He was destroyed by Naji during taijutsu class.

The overly serious boy walked into the ring and assumed an unfamiliar stance. Daikoku-sensei scratched the back of his neck, "Um, let's stick with the academy taijutsu if you don't mind, Neji-san. I don't think I would last long against the Gentle Fist."

Nodding politely, Neji modified his stance to once they were much more familiar with. The instructors said the style taught at the academy was called the dancing leaf. They said it was ideal for children to learn, but Naruto didn't see the point of learning something that wouldn't be very effective when you grew up.

"Hajime!" At the command, Neji shot forward toward the instructor and unleashed a flurry of blows the onlooking students were having a hard time tracking. Daikoku-sensei managed to block most of them, but enough got through to make him grimace. Each partially-blocked blow lacked the power required to worry an adult like himself, but he could feel how the boy was targeting the same spots over and over again. He needed to end this if he was going to up for testing the rest of the kids. "That's enough, now defense!"

Neji seamlessly transitioned into a defensive posture without yielding any of his gained ground. Daikoku-sensei tried to circle the boy to move closer to the center of the ring, but the fleet-footed Hyuuga would head him off and slip inside his guard if he tried to push him back.

Relief was clear on his face when the timer dinged. "Good. Really excellent work, Neji-san. Alright, next…" He looked at the group of eight students, "Naruto. Get up here."

No one was eager to fight immediately after Neji, but Naruto wasn't cowed so easily. He leapt into the ring and assumed his stance. He ignored the scoff he heard from Neji's direction.

"First, offense. Hajime!" Naruto ran forward and tried to land a haymaker to the instructor's chest, but a hand clasped on his wrist and spun him to the ground. Another rush led to similar results. Clambering back to his feet again, Naruto moved in a bit slower and tried to jab with his left so he could slip his right under the teacher's guard. When Daikoku-sensei ignored the jab and caught his right hand, Naruto swung his left left elbow at the instructor's grasping hand and connected on the man's own wrist.

Strictly speaking, that wasn't a dancing leaf move, but Naruto didn't think he was fast enough to get at the man's core. The bone on bone sound was simultaneously pleasing and terrifying as Naruto saw his teacher's face grow dark as he rubbed his injured wrist.

Not bothering to make a verbal transition, Daikoku-sensei moved in toward Naruto and grabbed at the boy's sleeve. A quick yank and the boy had a face full of dirt and his arm was bent painfully behind his back. The teacher wasn't putting his weight on him, so Naruto was able to squirm away and climb to his feet once again. Not fast enough, however, as a meaty hand flew forward and connected directly with Naruto's nose, knocking him on his butt out of the ring and dazing him.

Daikoku-sensei turned his back and invited the next student to enter the ring. Meanwhile, Naruto was only just realizing that he's been knocked out near where the Hyuuga genius was standing, presently scowling at him. "Stay down if you know what's good for you, failure." And with that Neji looked back at the ring and ignored Naruto's existence.

Naruto patted his bloody nose with his sleeve as he climbed back to his feet. "Oy, I'll never stay down, dattebayo!"

Without turning, Neji responded, "Then you will die."

The calm tone of his classmate's voice sent a shiver down Naruto's spine, but his own response was interrupted by a fresh trickle of blood from his nose. Deciding this was not an argument he could win with his nose pointed a few degrees off-center, he simply grumbled and walked away. _1-one-thousand… 2-one-thousand… 3-one-thousand…_

**-=oOo=-**

Naruto stared at his lunch. Leftover ramen and vegetables packed in an Ichiraku take out box. Life was good. His nose had mostly healed up by now, so the only thing he regretted was that it wasn't hot enough to have the amazing ramen aroma.

The written test hadn't been as terrible as he'd feared, but the physical tests certainly could have gone better. With his eyes tearing up from Daikoku-sensei's punch, he'd had a hell of a time trying to complete the throwing test. Combined with his poor showing in the spar, he needed to make up ground in the ninjutsu test. Fortunately, he had just the thing.

As thoughts of his master plan danced in his head, a heavy thump sounded on the bench seat next to him.

"Hello, Naruto-kun! Are you as energized by the tests as I am? They have been most difficult, but I am certain we will both shortly be genin of Konohagakure!"

Naruto smiled at his friend. "Dattebayo! Just one more test and we're done!"

Lee's smile faltered for a moment. Ninjutsu was Lee's weakness, that was for sure. He won most of their spars now, and he didn't have any trouble with the physical aspect, but he'd never been able to tell his chakra what to do like everyone else still in the program. "Are you certain that we can pass the test this way? Neither of us can make a clone the way they taught us."

Naruto's bright grin was nothing if not self-assured. "By the end of today, we'll be ninja, and ninja are supposed to win however they can, right? So what if we had to improvise. If everything goes right, they won't even know! Just be sure to sell it. Okay?"

Lee leapt to his feet, "Yosh! We will be true ninja."

The two boys noticed other students were heading back to the classroom and realized that lunch was almost over. With one last conspiratorial nod, they fell in line.

**-=oOo=-**

"Next up? Rock Lee."

The black-haired youth stood up from his desk and slowly made his way to the front of the room and Daikoku-sensei eyed him with some worry. Lee's chakra problems weren't a secret, though technically the details were medically confidential. The boy's efforts were inspiring, but most assumed he wouldn't make the final cut. After all, what is a ninja without chakra?

"Please perform the clone jutsu. Remember, a full pass requires three fully functional clones, but you only need a partial pass to get your headband today. Do your best."

"Yosh!" Lee subtly inched his way closer to the wastebin sitting next to the desk. He carefully made each handseal. Ram. Snake. Tiger. "Clone jutsu!"

A burst of smoke erupted next to him and suddenly there was an exact duplicate of himself standing next to him. They both smiled broadly at the teacher and yelled, "Yosh!"

For a moment, Daikoku was shocked. Had the boy actually managed to technique? Only one clone, but still that was significant improvement from the classroom practicals. Something was off though. Not just the surprising turn of events. Something else. He briefly scanned the classroom and everything clicked into place.

There was a wastebasket sitting on Naruto's chair.

Feeling a little guilty about his loss of control earlier, he decided against a harsh rebuke and settled for walking over and rapping the "clone" on the head with his knuckles. In a second burst of smoke, and a muffled thump, a blonde-haired boy materialized in a heap on the floor. Daikoku-sensei pinched the bridge of his nose and reminded himself that this was the last day he'd had to deal with the brat.

"I'm sorry Lee, but if you can not produce a viable clone, I'm going to have to recommend further training." Turning to the other boy. "As for you, you don't have his excuse. Make three clones."

Naruto gulped. He figured he'd have time to set up his own test. He still wasn't sure how his workaround for Lee's test didn't work. He glanced at his friend. Failed. Still, the intense boy was entirely focused on encouraging his friend. He was lucky to have such a friend.

Slipping three slips of paper out of his pocket, he tossed them out in front of him and formed the ram seal. "Fuin!" Three puffs of smoke and suddenly there were four Narutos.

For the second time in less than a minute, Daikoku was shocked. He could still fail the boy if he wanted. Being dependent on pre-made seals for such a simple technique was a liability, and it wouldn't be good to set a bad precedent. Still, they WERE clones, of a sort. He waved a hand through one, passing through it with no resistance, but the clone didn't immediately dissipate. Was that an advantage to clones made from tags?

Who was he kidding? He'd been looking forward to getting rid of the boy all year long. "Good enough. You pass. Come back on Monday for team assignments." He picked up a headband and tossed it to the boy. "And Lee? Some time in the next few days, you'll want to report to the administration office to sort out what kind of remedial training you'll receive. Dismissed."

**-=oOo=-**

The pure joy of holding his own headband, engraved with the leaf symbol of the village on a steel plate, was quickly dampened by the empty hands of his best friend. The two walked down the road in silence.

"Y'know, just 'cause you didn't pass this time, doesn't mean you can't take the test again."

Lee looked up at the sky as they continued walking no where. "Thank you Naruto-kun, but you know I can't use chakra. I'm afraid no amount of effort will overcome such an obstacle." He shook his head suddenly, "But I am very proud of you, my friend! We both have suffered through difficulties, and you have emerged victorious! Congratulations Naruto-kun!"

It broke Naruto's heart thinking about leaving Lee behind.

"Yosh! The fire of youth is alive in the next generation!" Both boys jumped away from the bellowing form that had materialized behind them. "Though I must correct you. Effort can overcome any obstacle, if you believe in yourself!"

Naruto's hand clutched over his heart, trying to get it to stop beating out of his chest. Who does that to someone?! The words never left his mouth, however, as even more than sneaking up behind someone and scaring the bejeezus out of them, the man's appearance was even more startling. He was a giant man, dressed in a tight green exercise outfit, with a standard-issue combat vest and bright orange leg warmers. And wow… his eyebrows are even bigger than Lee's!

"Now, congratulations on your graduation, Uzumaki-san. I'm sure you'll make the village proud. And you are correct. Lee-san may retake the exam once every six months if he pleases, but that is unnecessary. For I, Might Guy, Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey, have come to offer an alternative."

Both boys stared at the man. Naruto wondered if he knew how creepy he came across.

Lee's attention, however, was focused more on what the man had said. "An alternative?"

"That's right!" He punched out a thumbs up and gave a big cheesy grin. His teeth were so white, they seemed to sparkle even though the sun was behind him. "Not all ninja are the same. I have read your class' records. They say that you are a failure, while another in your class is labeled a genius. But I am here to determine if you have the perseverance to be a genius of hard work! Do you accept my challenge?"

Naruto recognized any further questioning as futile when Lee's eyes got that look in them. Like little balls of fire. "Yosh! I will be a genius of hard work! I accept your challenge, Guy-sensei!"

"Your flames of youth are strong indeed!" Now the man seemed near tears. What was happening? "Tomorrow morning, meet me at training ground 4 and we will run laps around the village until the sun goes down. And do not worry, I will bring rations that we may eat while we run." And with that, the man disappeared in a blur of motion.

He'd heard once that if you make a funny face for too long, you face might stick that way, so Naruto tried to wipe off his gobsmacked expression. His best friend, however, was once bouncing with energy. "Naruto-kun! Perhaps we will yet be teammates!" He was clearly restless as he shifted his weight back and forth.

Now fully recovered from that ordeal, Naruto nodded firmly. "Good luck with your challenge, Lee! I just know you'll win!" He gave Lee a firm handshake before they parted ways. Lee to work off his nervous energy, and Naruto to pass along the good news.

As he stepped through the entryway to the shrine grounds, he admired the fully repaired porch. A lot of blood and sweat went into that structure, and he was very proud of the finished product. There was just something about making a thing with your own hands that made it special. He gently pushed open the swinging doors and smiled at the suddenly burning brazier.

On automatic, he touched youma-sensei's mask to his face and hung it back up on the wall by their table.

"So?" Mito Uzumaki was a refined woman of many years, but there was more than a little excitement in her single word.

Naruto dug the headband out of his hip pocket and dangled it in front of his massive grin.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun! Your hard work has paid off. Now all that's left is to be assigned a team for the jounin assessment, and you will be an official member of the Konoha ninja forces."

Naruto blinked. "Jounin assessment? Well, this jounin guy in bright green and orange said he was gonna give Lee a special test, since he failed the academy one, but it sounded like that was a special case."

"If I'm understanding correctly, then you're quite right. It sounds like your Lee friend has been apprenticed. Or something like it. Good for him. Effort should be rewarded whenever possible. But no, you will still have to go through your own jounin assessment. Every new genin does. It helps your new sensei determine if the ground of genin they've been assigned will be able to work together in the field." Here she paused. "Though, perhaps I shouldn't say more. Jounin can be quite secretive about their testing methods. My advice is to show them that you are a Konoha ninja, no matter what."

Naruto nodded sharply. "No matter what."

"Oh, and before I forget. How did your… mission go?" The corner of her mouth turned up every so slightly. Maybe it was petty, but Mito liked to get the last laugh over Tobirama. That she could set this up after they were both dead just made it final. It was the little things in life. And death.

**-=The Following Monday=-**

"Team three will consist of Janine Shimura," a purple haired girl in black stood up and nodded at Daikoku-sensei. Even after four years, Naruto didn't really know her. He figured she was just one those people that avoided him. "Zaji Kawanishi, and Saemon Kisaragi." Zaji he knew, but who was Saemon? When two boys stood up, Naruto eyed the bigger boy and couldn't remember ever seeing him before. That seemed odd, right?

Daikoku-sensei continued to read off the sheet, "Team three will be led by jounin, Hamaki Himura. Team four will consist of Makaro Akimichi, Shiho Kawanishi, and Rock Lee." Damn! Naruto and Lee shared an unpleasant look. "Team four will be led by jounin, Might Guy."

Naruto leaned over to whisper, "Wasn't that the green guy from the other day?"

Lee responded in something that could only charitably be called a whisper, "Yosh! Guy-sensei is going to teach me to be a great ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu!"

"Shhh! Some of us want to hear what team they're on." Tenten hissed from the row in front.

Daikoku cleared his throat. "Team 5 will consist of Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto perked up at that. The next two names would be his comrades in arms for the foreseeable future. Youma-sensei said that for many, their genin teammates were like family to them. He glanced around to room to see who that might include. "Tenten Shiranui, and Neji Hyuuga."

…

This was a prank, right? "That's crazy! Why do I have to be his teammate? He's a jerk!"

"Shut up, Naruto! If anyone, it's you that we shouldn't want to be teamed up with." Tenten hissed again.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be! Naruto glanced at Neji on the other side of the room only to get a sneer in return. Daikoku-sensei blithely continued naming teams, but Naruto was not paying attention. He wouldn't admit it, but it was something he had a lot of practice with.

Neji Hyuuga. How could someone like that ever be his new family? He was a jerk, a bully. Arrogant, mean... Tenten isn't so bad. A little serious, but he respected her skills. She didn't seem to like him much though. This was not starting well. Wait... did Daikoku-sensei say who his new sensei was? Damn, he missed that part.

"Psst, hey Tenten. What was our sensei's name again?"

The brunette rolled her eyes and whispered back, "Naruto, you idiot. Pay attention yourself!" Youma-sensei would have made him do writing drills for that. When she didn't continue, he realized she wasn't going to and he gave her his best pout. It was marginally less effective than normal as she'd already turned back around. Damn.

"Alright, everyone is dismissed for the morning. Get to know your new teams and come back to this room right after lunch."

**-=oOo=-**

Naruto grumbled to himself as he slipped into his seat at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey there, Naruto-kun! Why aren't you at the academy? Isn't it in session this time of day?" Ayame sidled up to the other side of the bar and looked over at her favorite customer.

Naruto pouted up at her from his stool, "Ayame-neechan, I told you I graduated last week! I'm a ninja now!" With that he pointed proudly at his headband.

"Oh, my little Naruto-kun is really growing up. Already a ninja. Will you be out saving princesses next?"

"Do we get to do that? Youma-sensei said a lot of my missions will end up being pretty boring."

"Well, someone has to rescue them. You're not gonna let them suffer in their tall towers, right? That seems awfully cruel of you Naruto-kun."

"Uh… of course not."

"Now now, don't go messing with his head, Ayame-chan." Teuchi Ichiraku came up behind his daughter and ruffled her hair through the white handkerchief keeping her brown locks out of the food prep. "So how about it, Naruto-kun? The usual?"

"Yep! Extra large bowl of miso ramen! But, I'll take it to-go this time."

Minutes later, Naruto was sitting at his work table in the Uzumaki Shrine touching a familiar mask to his face. "Tenten and Neji," he groused.

"Neji Hyuuga? You told me he was very talented. It's not a bad thing to have someone strong watching your back." Mito consoled the venting boy.

Naruto would have argued that point if his mouth wasn't full of his take-out ramen. It was better hot. Still, he chewed grumpily.

"And Tenten Shiranui? I don't remember you talking much about her, though I'm familiar with some Shiranui from my day. What's your impression of the girl?"

"Uh… well she scored the highest of the kunoichi this year. Perfect score on throwing. …"

"And? I know I just said ability is important in a comrade, but do you think you can get along with her? Teamwork is, in many ways, more important than ability after all."

Naruto squirmed a bit. "She doesn't really like me. She thinks I'm stupid."

Mito stared at the boy for a few moments. "Well, I think even you will admit that you have your moments," Naruto nodded reluctantly, "but you're not stupid. She'll learn that from running missions with you. Don't worry so much." She reaches to rub his shoulders and stops. Some of those physical gestures were automatic even after all these years. "Besides, children don't stay children. I think you'll find that a couple years of fieldwork and you'll hardly recognize most of your classmates. Hopefully for the better. Now, who is your new sensei?"

Naruto paled.

**-=oOo=-**

"It looks like everyone is back on time. Good. Being punctual is very important as a ninja." Daikoku-sensei looked approvingly at the classroom full of 11 and 12 year olds. It was a terrible thing to send them out to kill or be killed, but he had prepared them the best he knew how. "Your new senseis will be arriving shortly to arrange your training regime and mission schedule. Good lu-"

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" A window overlooking the yard burst in a shower of glass as a green blur flew into the classroom. The familiar massive man stood tall at the front of the room, looking extremely intimidating to those who hadn't had a conversation with him.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee bounded down from his desk to the front of the room excitedly. His new teammates, Makaro and Shiho, shared a slightly panicked look.

"Team four, report to training ground 16!" And he was gone just as fast as he'd come. Lee leapt after him through the window despite being on the second floor, but Naruto wasn't worried about him. No, as much as he cared about his friend's well-being, Mito had scared him with stories about some of the jounin who had led teams in the past and how reckless it was to ignore information pertaining to that.

Over the next few minutes, several jounin visited the classroom, most by the door, each time raising his hopes that "team five" would be called. By the half hour mark, even Daikoku-sensei had left. Now only he, Neji, and Tenten remained.

"So, uh… what's the name of the guy we're waiting for?" Naruto fished.

"Or girl." Tenten responded with a telling smirk. "If you don't even remember who was assigned as our team leader, then why do you think the jounin is a man?"

"Uh… because…" Well, actually that was a pretty good point. "I guess I don't. Is our new sensei a woman?"

"No, you idiot." That was Neji. Tenten pouted a bit and pulled out a kunai to fiddle with to pass the time. Naruto watched her put her hand on the desk and tap the tip of the kunai in between each pair of fingers, forward and backward. At first it seemed weird, but as she picked up speed, he was getting genuinely impressed. Neji appeared to be meditating. Either that or pretending his new teammates were just noisey rocks in his garden.

Another half hour passed and Naruto was laying on the ground, staring at the ceiling. He'd thought about pulling out his sealing notes to get some work done, but youma-sensei said not to do that except at home or at the shrine.

Tenten had moved on to balancing the kunai on her finger tip. Those weren't even practice kunai. He could see the keen edge from here. If she hadn't threatened to castrate him only ten minutes ago if he stopped bothering her, he would have asked how she did it.

He honestly didn't know how Neji had the patience to keep sitting there, looking serene.

The door cracked open and a man poked his head through. A mask and headband covered most of his face, so Naruto had trouble even figuring out if he knew the man. The only clearly visible feature was the stark white hair sticking sticky up wildly. The three fresh genin stared at the man for a couple heartbeats.

"Hmmm… how do I put this? My first impression is… you're a bunch of idiots."

**-=oOo=-**

**Author's Notes:**

Well there it is. Naruto's team. I will admit that part of the reason I picked this team is because I like Neji and Tenten. Neji has a very interesting backstory, and Tenten is one of the characters that gets picked on most in the manga. The Naruto series needed more kunoichi who had their **** together.

I'm not sure about how I feel about how short my scenes have been ending up. Maybe I'm rushing because its still setting up for running actual missions. Do you think I'm chopping my scenes off too early? Is it disorienting? I have noticed I've fallen in love with setting up a series of events and closing a scene just as it starts. If I don't like writing those scenes, I imagine you don't like reading them, but everyone is different.

In the end, I simply couldn't separate Lee and Guy-sensei. They belong together (not in a yaoi sense). Also, I'm sorry if I built it up as Naruto being teamed up with Lee. I have plans for them both, but having his best friend on his team would make things too easy for Naruto. This story was always going to be a Naruto, Tenten, Neji team.

Finally, I felt like I didn't allow Naruto to excel enough with his advanced fuuinjutsu knowledge, but I decided that it's possible to be a sealing master without ever being a field ninja. Filling a pure support role like a doctor or a surgeon. For that reason, it wouldn't make much sense to favor skills that are usually not useful in field operations (as most people aren't seal masters who can construct or circumvent arrays without days worth of work).

Regarding my choice to have Kakashi as Naruto's sensei, there are several reasons for that. The first is that Kakashi wants to be Naruto's teacher for his own sensei's sake. He also wants to be Sasuke's teacher for Obito's sake, but since they aren't in the same graduating class, he can't have both. That's canon compliance. My own personal reasons are partially to salvage Kakashi. I like his character, but his team was pretty terrible. Sasuke is a deserter waiting to happen. Sakura has way too little motivation to succeed. Naruto is all over the place, and as much a liability in the field as he is an asset. At least at the beginning. At one point Kakashi thought bubbles: "If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training it'll be a miracle!" With Neji, who is similar to Sasuke but has a seal preventing him from deserting, Tenten, who is very serious about becoming a kunoichi, and this Naruto, who has a direction in life beyond "be awesome", I think he can be a much better teacher. But don't worry, I won't intentionally make him OOC as that would defeat the purpose of telling this kind of story. Kakashi is lazy, but he's also very smart. Given motivated students, he can give them minimal direction and get a lot in return. With the bag of cats that Team 7 was, that just wasn't going to happen.


End file.
